


The Night I Lost the Love of my Life

by LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Angst, Car Accidents, Character Death, Christmas, F/M, Orphans, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley
Summary: Bryce is late for dinner. Keiki calls. She has terrible news.
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 13





	The Night I Lost the Love of my Life

I was in my office at Edenbrook, getting ready to go home. I was changing out of my scrubs and into my heavy jacket. After over ten years in Massachusetts, I still could not get used to the Bostonian wintery biting cold. My wife and I were hoping to move somewhere warmer, ideally back to her home in the Guianas, but realistically to Miami.

It was almost Christmas, and we would spend it in New England, since I had a shift on December 24th, and she had another on December 26th. That was okay, we would have dinner on the 25th with Keiki, and she would phone her brother in Europe to send their good wishes.

I was scheduled to leave over half an hour ago, but my surgery went long and I was just getting off. I was late for dinner, Casey was going to be angry, but I knew she understood. It was the one upside to having married another doctor.

"Doctor Lahela!" Cried Mary, a nurse, from their station.

I turned to her; I was about to leave. I wanted to get home soon; I wanted to see my wife without delay.

“What's the matter, Mary?” She approached with quick steps to my side. “My shift's over and I'm in a bit of a hurry. What's going on?”

“An accident!” She gasped. “Your sister, she just called. There was an accident.”

I looked at her, fear settling on my stomach, while she just tried to catch her breath. I was completely stunned, an accident?

“What did she say? Did something happen?” Her countenance was sad and I began to despair. “Mary, get a hold of yourself!”

I shook her gently, trying to keep hysteria on edge.

“It's... It's your wife, Doctor Lahela.”

My arms fell on my side, she suffered an accident, it was on an avenue on the way to their home.

I started running in the direction of my car. _Casey, Casey, Casey_. I kept repeating over and over in my mind. I let out a drowned cry as I accelerated on my way home. I ignored all the signs, trying to find the crash site.

What happened? Why, why, why?

I pressed the throttle harder, disregarding any reason or limit on the road, swerving through the other vehicles. My phone started ringing and I desperately looked for it in my pocket. I tried to calm down the tremors of my hands a little bit and answered quickly.

“Keiki? Do you hear me? What happened? What happened?”

"Br-Bryce…" She sobbed and I felt my heart stop for a second, and then start beating frantically. “It’s Casey. She was on her way home from the grocery store, and... And... a driver was driving drunk... passed the light from the traffic light, she... just... I’m at your house, but I don’t know what to do!”

Oh, no! No way! I screamed into the wheel of my car and turned off my phone.

I was about to arrive.

Once there, I looked at the scene before me. There was a black van with the whole front collapsed and next to it was my Casey's car. It was turned around with all the broken windows.

I braked quickly and the tires screeched on the asphalt. I got out as fast as I could, running fast towards them. I felt my heart beating unbroken and as my throat closed, because of the sobs. I approached quickly, trying to remove the little crowd I had, feeling like inside I was tearing myself apart in pain.

"Sir, you can't pass through." A cop stopped me, preventing me from going through the tapes.

“What do you mean, I can’t pass? It's my wife over there!” I squealed and pushed through him, running towards my wife's car.

Right next to it, laying limp on the pavement, was she.

She was thrown to the ground, her beautiful eyes open and her hands resting on her stomach. His clothes were bloodied, as was her face. I noticed her chest go up slowly and suppressed another sob. She was alive, for the moment.

I ran to her and leaned over for her to see me. I grabbed her hand and her face, starting to touch her as I always did, moving her gently.

“Casey, my love, talk to me.” I gently took her head and placed her on my lap, stroking her fine features before hiding my face between her hair.

Casey turned her piercing gaze on me, but she could not form words.

"Please, Casey, react." I pleaded with her. "Don't leave me! I waited for you for so long, don't leave me; Come on, honey, stay with me!”

"Bry?" She moved her head slightly, looking for my face and smiled when her eyes met mine. His face was pale and his eyes were opaque, but they shone dimly when I caressed his cheeks. I sneezed and my tears fell down his cheeks.

“Casey, please, my love, don't leave me.” I squeezed it even harder against my body, crying loudly while trying to stay in one piece.

"Bryce… " She whispered, caressing my face and smiling slightly.

"I'm here, I'm with you." I caressed her face, gently kissing her lips and cheeks. She loved me kissing her cheeks and I could feel her smile get bigger.

"Look at me, Bryce."

I did as she asked and I looked deep into the windows to her bright soul. Her voice was very weak and I felt my breath speeding up.

“Everything will be all right; everything will be fine.” I gently dry my tears and put her hands on my cheek, allowing me to rest my face there.

“You have to move on, Bry. Don't let what happened to get in the way.” Her face was bathed in tears “You have to live without and for me.”

“Fuck no!” I screamed, sobbing even louder. “Don't ask me that! You know perfectly well I won't be able to. I can't live without you. I'll follow you as soon as I can.”

“You can’t, Bryce.” She squealed faintly. “You have to continue, for the patients that need you. You have to move on, for your sister, Keiki needs you. You have to tell my brother; you have to help him and my parents. You have to try to live without me. You have to, you have to live for our baby, Bryce, you have to take care of Kai.”

Her eyes started to slowly close and my sobs increased.

“I'll always be there for you, Bryce. Now, tomorrow and forever.”

"No, Casey…" I shook her harder against my arms and screamed in pain.

"Promise... " She swallowed difficultly. “Promise me you'll try. That this won't be an obstacle and that you'll live for both of us. Promise me you'll take care of our son, tell him how much I love him every day.”

“Casey… Casey...”

“Promise it, Bryce, do it for me.”

"I promise, Casey." I nodded with all the conviction I could muster.

She stroked my cheek again, and approached gently. Her lips were cold, they didn't have the same warmth as before.

“I love you, Bryce. I've always loved you and I'll always love you. Tell everyone I love them, especially Kai.”

"I love you too, baby."

She smiled, and her eyes finally closed.

My sobs were strong and my tears heavy. I screamed loudly, feeling my soul tear apart and how it was impossible for me to stay in one piece.

Everything weighed on me. It did not make sense for me to live anymore, the reason for my life now was no longer with me. I had lost everything; I had lost it all.

There was still Kai, our six-year-old baby, and I knew that. I knew I had to do it for him, but my resolve wavered, even at the prospect of having him shipped to Hawaii.

I hugged Casey against my chest and started gently rocking her on my lap. I hid, again, my face in her hair. Its sweet strawberry aroma flooded my nostrils. My hand distractedly stroked her bruised arms. Her eyes, now closed forever, her cheeks and finally her sweet, fleshy lips.

Nothing existed around me, everything was lost. Nothing made sense to me now.

This was the night I lost the love of my life. The reason for my life.


End file.
